Palestinians Seek EU Support For Independent State

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinians asked the European Union on Monday to back their plan to have the U.N. Security Council recognize an independent Palestinian state without Israeli consent.

The idea of seeking U.N. intervention has been gaining steam in the Arab world as the impasse in peacemaking drags on. The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967.

"We will seek the support of all members of the international community," Saeb Erekat, a top adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told reporters in Ramallah. Besides the EU, they also plan to seek U.S. approval, Erekat said.

The plan appears to be largely symbolic, given that the U.S., Israel's chief ally, would likely veto such an initiative at the United Nations. It also would not remove the 500,000 Israelis living in West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The move, however, reflects growing Palestinian frustration with the deadlock in peace efforts. Palestinian officials say they hope international endorsement would force Israel to recognize a future Palestine's borders based on the pre-1967 lines.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to nullify past accords with the Palestinians if they take any unilateral action. Several Cabinet allies threatened Monday that Israel would annex West Bank settlement blocs if the Palestinians take any one-side action.

"Any unilateral movement will be countered by a unilateral move on our part," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday. "We cannot conduct policy or negotiations unilaterally; it runs counter to all previous agreements and that's how we will treat it."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly withheld support for the Palestinian initiative. "We support the creation of a Palestinian state that is contiguous and viable," he said. Washington recognizes Palestinian frustration, "but we think that the best way to achieve that is through negotiations by the two parties," he said.

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Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, said Israel should consider annexing West Bank settlements if the Palestinians push forward.

Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza in 2005, but has annexed east Jerusalem and maintains a military occupation in the West Bank. Islamic Hamas militants violently wrested control of Gaza from Abbas loyalists in a 2007, complicating his ability to negotiate.

The U.S., which champions a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has not reacted to the latest Palestinian initiative. But as a key mediator, it would likely veto any such resolution if it reached the Security Council.

The proposal, which has Arab League backing, appears to be an indirect appeal to the international community to shore up Abbas as he tries to win more favorable terms for renewing long-stalled negotiations.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the Arab-backed proposal at their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, said Petra Dachtler, an adviser to the EU's special Middle East envoy, Marc Otte. Because the idea has only been floated recently, the EU has yet to formulate an opinion, she said.

The EU is not on the Security Council, but EU members France and Britain are permanent council members that wield veto power.

The Palestinians have given no timeline for presenting a formal proposal to the Security Council. But with the backing of the Arab League, they have been lobbying U.N. member states to support such a proposal when it is submitted.

Peace talks faltered nearly a year ago after Israel launched its devastating war against Gaza militants, who had bombarded southern Israel with thousands of rockets for years.

The Palestinians say they won't go back to the negotiating table until Israel agrees to halt all construction in settlements built on lands the Palestinians claim for their hoped-for state. Israel promised to do just that under a 2003 peace blueprint, but has never carried out that promise.

Netanyahu, who refuses to halt settlement construction, has repeatedly urged the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table without conditions. The Palestinians are disappointed that the U.S. has failed to coerce Israel to halt the construction, which the Palestinians say threatens their dream of independence by gobbling up the land they claim.

Earlier this month, a frustrated Abbas threatened to quit politics after January presidential elections. But last week, election officials postponed the vote indefinitely, allowing Abbas to remain in office.

Abbas is finding it increasingly difficult to justify negotiations to his people, who have seen talks break down repeatedly over the past 18 years. Hamas is sticking by its conviction that only armed struggle will win the Palestinians a state.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Abbas' decision to reach out to the Security Council was a sign of desperation. "It's clear that this was a reaction by the Palestinian Authority after running out of options after two decades of negotiations," he said.

Comments

[baffy]

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict continues to be the biggest threat to peace in the Middle East (forget Iran) and it is time for Obama to stand up to Netanyahu or cut him loose - no money, no weapons, no UN veto. The US has, in the past, been complicit in this atrocity. It is time to do the right thing and STRONGLY support a fully independent Palestinian state on Palestinian land - all of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and more. Israel should immediately with draw to the 1948 borders which they legally agreed to.

[BiggerBiggerPicture]

Negotiation can only work when the parties have equal power. The Palestinians are living in stone age while Israel has atomic bomb. Anyone in their right mind will think their negotiation can work?

[BiggerBiggerPicture]

Is there censorship or self-censorship in the main stream media about Israel? How come there is nothi ng in the news about this event of Palestinian declaration of independence? What is going on?

[alexa07]

In Washington, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly withheld support for the Palestinian initiative. "We support the creation of a Palestinian state that is contiguous and viable," he said. Washington recognizes Palestinian frustration, "but we think that the best way to achieve that is through negotiations by the two parties," he said.

I wonder how Ian Kelly can even look the camera in the eye when he states such prevarication. Does he (or any of the Obama officials) really expect anyone, let alone the Palestinians, to continue to indulge the American leadership in this charade? Say one thing, but by all means, do everything in the opposite direction to disengage any real progress?

[petera63]

So did the EU earlier today. They called the idea "untimely and premature".

And, BTW, what would be the international borders of this Palestinian "state"? HAMAS have already rejected the idea, and they control Gaza. So it's the West Bank only. However, Abbas controls only about 20% of it - a few major cities. Also, they are totally dependent on Israel for power and water supply, communal services, health, and security. So let's picture this: tomorrow the Abbas government declares independence. Who will provide the Palestinian population with basic services? No one. Because there's no doubt that Israel will rescind all prior agreements withe Autonomy, plus every terrorist attack will be lawfully considered as an act of war between states.

Words are a beautiful thing, but reality is something different.

[alexa07]

The reality is that the EU runs a close second in duplicity to any number of American leaders who say on thing, but do everything to shore up one side only. It will be interesting if the Obama people can work up any real indignation other than being dismayed at yet more evictions, settlements, bypass infrastructure, unequal access to electrification, water, education & the like. The civil rights of all who live there need to be respected as one religious group should not be any different in terms of property rights or other benefits than those of any other or no religion.

[karmafriend]

Yah, years of negotiations have done wonders.

[alexa07]

It's been a very sad game from the beginning with the leadership in our govt & media stacking the cards very much against any reasonable outcome.

[mommamia526]

As someone else says on this thread, negotiations have done wonders. Going into the seventh decade. But, yes, appealing to the EU would be a novel idea. And which one of the European countries should give up territory to make room for that *Palestinian State*?? Many European countries already have contingents of 20-25% of Arabs inside their borders, just as Israel does. I have an inkling, though, that that percentage has not yet been reached in some Arab countries. Is it not the case that most Palestinians speak Arabic and are muslim? No Arab speaking countries in the EU that I know of, even though there are too many Arab speaking persons there already to some people's liking. Oh, Palestinians are NOT asking EU countries, or the U.S., to give up territory? They are asking Israel to do so? Well, may be in that case the Palestinians are barking up the wrong tree? Oh, there are no trees in the desert either? Well, whatEVER!! No, Alexa07, I do not know how Palestinians are looking into the camera's eye either and speaking such nonsense! Oh, you were speaking of the U.S.? Well, yes, how do they dare! The U.S. should immediately withdraw any aid to Palestinians. You are so correct, this time.

[jwcmass]

The reason those European countries -- particularly France (and the UK) have so many Arabs living there is because of their imperial days when they governed, and colonized so much of the developing world.

France, for example, has many Algerians, who were once a part of France.

And because of the EU, once you are a citizen, you can move freely throughout the EU.

It's the price of Empire.

Modern Arab nations -- who, incidentally had their borders drawn for them BY these same European countries following WWI, never had Empires-- or not for a VERY long time.

It's ironic that you bring up Europe, because it was European intolerance for Jews that created Zionism in the first place.

If there were justice, the Jewish state should have been created in Europe as compensation for nearly 2000 years of intolerance.
Of course you can imagine how any European nation would have reacted to that.

But Europe felt perfectly free to disrupt the lives of the Palestinians by allowing Israel to be created there.

Europe is used to this. They have -- until recently-- been used to making decisions like this to lesser developed nations, in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas.


But we cannot undo history. The fact is that Israelis are in the Holy Land, and so are the Palestinians. Neither people are going away. It's time to face that simple fact and resolve this dispute-- and share the land as equitably as possible.

[petera63]

"Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza in 2005, but has annexed east Jerusalem and maintains a military occupation in the West Bank."

Given the time-line of events, this paragraph should state: "Israel has annexed east Jerusalem and maintains a military occupation in the West Bank since the 1967 war, but has pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza in 2005."

The sequence of events makes a big difference, doesn't it?

[Justtellthetruth]

If the point you mean to drive home is that Israel has been brutalizing the Palestinians in an effort to ethnically cleanse them and steal their land for more than 40 years, and that they have been progressively doing so ( there are now half a millions settlers illegally occupying Palestinian territory) even regardless of moving 8000 settlers (who took up more than 30 percent of the land) from gaza, then i agree with your point completely.

[StCuthbert]

Hooray for strawman arguments!

[Justtellthetruth]

To the best of my knowledge, these Senators would have 0 say in the decision to veto or not; that is the purview of the President, and it could be that Obama will finally grow a pair on this issue and shock the world by commanding the US ambassador to support a UN declaration fo a Palestinian state in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel is already in violation of international law regarding the settlements. Our own state department made this determination more than 30 years ago. It is time we held Israel accountable for decades of flagrant disregard for international Law and basic Human Rights in the occupied territories and FORCE them to leave instead of kowtowing to Netanyahus ultra right wing, racist agenda.

[CigarGod]

Have a cigar.
I just had a Cu-avana Intenso. Wonderful aroma.

[Macready]

totally with you JustTellthetruth . . . well said

[StCuthbert]

You realize, of course, that declaring a state in the West Bank and Gaza will mean a couple things:

1. No more free stuff from UNRWA
2. Every rocket fired from Gaza is an act of war and a complete justification for Cast Lead 2.
3. The Israeli occupation remains legal.
4. The settlers can no longer be forced out, as they will choose to be Palestinian citizens.
5. A civil war begins between Hamas and Fatah to decide who rules, because we all know how much Hamas loves democracy.

These are just my predictions of course, but I feel safe making them.

[jwcmass]

I note two things

1) re your point # 2-- you are now admitting that Cast Lead was NOT justified.

2) re your point #3-- you are admitting that what Israel is doing IS in fact an OCCUPATION.

Thanks for the clarification.

And I would like to see how the settlers (those ideologicasl ones-- i have a feeling that many of the others would see the wisdom of moving) accept being Palestinian citizens-- and if they would recognize the lawful authority of Palestinian government, courts, (some of those land seizures just might be seen as illegal)

You make the claim that there will be civil war between Hamas and Fatah-- which may of course happen -- I don't have a crystal ball.

But you DO realize that there is just a great a chance of a civil war between the mainstream Israeli population and the hard-line Settler movement, don't you?

[CigarGod]

Why not the 1948 borders?
As a state, I think Palestine can then invite in the blue helmets.

[lbsaltzman]

You are correct. The legal borders should be the 1948 borders not 1967. As the 1948 war progressived, Israel for the first time engaged in massive ethnic cleansing and land theft. The 1967 borders far exceed the actual land that was allotted to Israel by the U.N.

[StCuthbert]

So you think the Palestinians should be rewarded for sixty years of terror and warfare by getting all the land back, free of charge? That's not how the world works. Germany starts a war, loses territory. Same with the Palestinians.

[StCuthbert]

They won't. Because the blue helmets will also prevent suicide bombings and rocket attacks, which the Palestinians will undoubtedly continue. So they'll want UN peacekeepers as far from the region as possible. Why do you think they haven't invited them already?

[CigarGod]

Because they are not entitled to, according to UN rules.

[Justtellthetruth]

Since 67, the Palestinians have been BEGGING for the UN to take over the occupation.

It has, in many cases, only been the US veto that has stopped it.

You clearly either have no idea of what your talking about, or you would simply like to cloud the issue in order to make the victims (the Palestinians, millions of whom have been forced to live in squalor, with limited rights for decades at the hands of the settlers and the occupation that they necessitate) look bad.

[jwcmass]

If you want to make the assumption that ALL Palestinians favor the tactics of rocket attacks and suicide bombers, how would you feel about the description of ALL Israelis as Baruch Goldsteins and Yigal Amirs?

Stereotyping, generalizing and bigotry will end up going nowhere but backwards.

[Wisdo]

The plan appears to be largely symbolic, given that the U.S., Israel's chief ally, would likely veto such an initiative at the United Nations.

The US does not consider any motions made by the palestinians. Such motions are not even read. They do not even know what they are about. They simply autoveto it, if it has the word Israel in it.

Partner for peace! haha.

[Wisdo]

"Islamic Hamas militants violently wrested control of Gaza from Abbas loyalists in a 2007, complicating his ability to negotiate."

theres that lie AGAIN.

FACT: Hamas won the election
FACT: Israeli and US backed Fatah attempted to prevent Hamas taking power by using force
FACT: Fatah did not succeed.

[jwcmass]

Well, we only want demoracy when OUR guy wins.

[mommamia526]

well, that may all be true, jwmass. However, I do not think Palestinians should slaughter each other over who won or not. They could have formed a government with two parties, as is done in the U.S. where there also is one party which wins and another one which loses. I have yet to see Republicans slaughtering Democrats after elections, and whwolesale, or vice versa. Yet another youtube contribution of yours?

[StCuthbert]

FACT: The Palestinian government was supposed to consist of multiple parties in power, not just Hamas. However, Hamas forced all the other groups out of power and took it all for themselves.

It is true that Hamas won the majority of votes, but their current power was not gained through legitimate means.

[jwcmass]

Actually, it was Fatah, having LOST the election, that refused to allow a Hamas-led government be formed. THAT is illegal-- at least in most Parliamentary systems.

Instead, Mahmoud Abbas ignored the election results and appointed a Fatah Prime Minister.

So both parties used "illegitimate means" to gain power.

Of course, the wiser course would have been to only allow parties committed to the POLITICAL process-- i.e. disarming private armies/militias to participate in the election.

But that didn't happen. Hamas actually played by the rules as they existed and won. The West didn't like the result, and essentially declared the result null and void. The armed struggle that resulted was inevitable.

But all this is in the past. Like it or not, at some point Israel is going to have to sit down with Hamas (after all, Israel helped create it) just like the Ulster Parties have sat down with the IRA --(and the world didn't end in Northern Ireland).

[Macready]

I want to see the EU and the UN back the independent Palestinian state . . . it must happen . . . otherwise israel will continue to steal and stall . . with the assistance of the US congress . . .

"The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967." Yes, it is their land and they are entitled to it . . . .. Justice for Palestine . . . .

[Wisdo]

im afraid the assistance of US congress is about as likely as the assistance of Avigdor Lieberman.

[Macready]

I know Wisdo . . suspect I wasn't clear . . . I meant israel will continue to steal and stall with the assistance of the US congress . . . they make me sick with their kow towing to the aipac

[Progressneeded]

Posting again!

Good luck! They seriously are going to ask the same people who created their problem and turned a blind eye as they were massacred in Deir Yassin and G@za to help them!

[Progressneeded]

Good luck! They seriously are going to ask the same people who created their problem and turned a blind eye as they were massacared in Deir Yassin and G@za to help them!

[Naville]

"In Washington, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly withheld support for the Palestinian initiative. "We support the creation of a Palestinian state that is contiguous and viable," he said. Washington recognizes Palestinian frustration, "but we think that the best way to achieve that is through negotiations by the two parties," he said."

in other words Israel has to bless your freedom and independence. What a dishonest, biased, and absurd remark.an occu

The logic that somebody's freedom of independence has to be suppressed, because the oppressor has to allow it, is far beyond tyranny.

Here are some responses.... first Lieberman'''

Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT), an independent, said "an essentially unilateral" declaration of statehood was the one thing that would not move the stalled peace process forward.

The other Lieberman,,,,

Avigdor Lieberman said Monday. "We cannot conduct policy or negotiations unilaterally; it runs counter to all previous agreements and that's how we will treat it."

Sen. Kaufman,,,,,,,,

"'Any United Nations resolution calling for unilateral statehood for Palestinians would be "dead on arrival," Democratic Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware said Monday while visiting Jerusalem.

These statements are all crafted from the same source. you can not tell them apart. all baise toward Isreal for obvious reasons.

[jwcmass]

Hmm "Dead on Arrival" -- I wonder if Sen. Kaufman was talking about health care or Palestinian independence. Hard to keep their cliches straight.

[JerryLevy]

The EU could really make a difference by telling the Palestinians the truth that their biggest problem is not the lack of statehood, but a pathological and dysfunctional totalitarian society living off corruption and hatred. Get your house in order, then we will talk about your statehood.

[jwcmass]

I am reminded of the fact that the British made the same argument to Gandhi, when trying to give all the reasons why the British had to continue their occupation.

Gandhi's response was "Of course we will have problems. but they will be OUR problems."

In many ways it is the continued occupation and Israel's and the US's interference in Palestinian internal affairs that has HINDERED, not helped their political development.

One can find a THOUSAND excuses for not moving forward on Palestinian statehood if one wants.

It's time for Israel and the US to get on the ball, and instead of looking for reasons for this NOT to happen, to instead find ways to MAKE it happen.

[mommamia526]

I know, one can find a thousand EXCUSES, ETC. You are so right. Such as we will NEVER negotiate with Israel. Israel will FIRST HAVE TO, before we do....We are not getting along among each other and are not going to. We are NOT speaking hebrew. YOU are going to acknowledge us and give us....and we will do nothing in return. Yes, but you HAVE to understand... IF it were not for Israel, then. Yes, but the U.S., and they ALWAYS....We do not want peace, we are going to have WAR. We are not ssssPEAKING...to ANYONE. I am going to resign...because THEY..YOU can not vote, because we say so...Abbas can not this that or the other, his post expired a year ago...

The REAL EXCUSE... we are NOT BUDGING, the Paycheck is good. Money in the bank, and a patsy to blame for everything we do. Getting away with MURDER, literally,,and free money too. What could be better. And we have become so very important. We are ruling Gaza and live in luxury in Syria.

[Naville]

This is the best move Palestinians ever came up. it is a rough road, but it will show the world that Israeli justification of the occupation of Palestine is in reality annexation of land but not security.

The reason Palestinians never tried independence course, is the fact that U.S put pressure on them to partake in an endless, staged, dishonest peace process, which is intended to steal more land and legitimize settlements.
Everyday Palestinian families are thrown out of their home with court papers, demolished their homes.

The U.S policy regarding Palestinians is entirely a copy of the Israeli policy, and because of that, U.S will never be partial. why would the Palestinians have any faith in America ?

The other point is , when Palestinians declare statehood and independence, U.S will take the side of the occupier. you would think America will support freedom and liberty, well, this baffling to understand.

This will separate those who support Israeli occupation from those who want freedom for the Palestinians.

good luck